Consumers have long enjoyed the combination flavor of nuts with chocolate, particularly the creamy texture and flavor of nut butters and chocolate. Processed products, such as chocolate-covered, peanut butter granola bars, or peanut butter and chocolate candies, do not contain high levels of peanut butter because the oil from the peanut butter migrates through the chocolate, or “oils out.” “Oiling out” creates an undesirable food profile, and, as a result, simulated nut butter/chocolate foods have been developed in the past.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,948,621 and 2,955,040 disclose processes of manufacturing nut-flavored additives, particularly peanut butter, wherein the nut butter is stabilized by mixing it with an aqueous solution of a polyhydric alcohol. U.S. Pat. No. 3,245,803 discloses a peanut butter stabilizer comprising polyhydric alcohol as a vehicle and solid beta-prime crystalline glycerides with optional addition of emulsifiers, hydrocolloids and salt. One of the polyhydric alcohols recited is sorbitol. U.S. Pat. No. 6,153,249 discloses a cold-formed low-fat peanut butter product comprising defatted peanut flour, water, a sugar alcohol that can include sorbitol and a final water activity level of 0.8 or less. The present invention is neither disclosed nor suggested by any of the previous references, either alone or in combination.